Police superintendents weren’t always slaves to crime statistics, but CompStat changed all that. The system, which collects data on everything from curfew violations to murder, generates reports on crime trends within a geographic area. Once the numbers are crunched, ranking officers are called to the carpet to field questions from their command staff and chief, who will undoubtedly be probed on the numbers by the mayor — and citizens — of the city he’s been charged to protect.

Last weekend was a bloody one: More than 50 shootings were reported, nearly 20 percent of those were fatal. Summer after summer, Chicagoans are consumed by violence and a seemingly exponential murder rate.

Five Indiana men remain in custody after they allegedly attacked a group of patrons at a Tinley Park restaurant this past Saturday. They will reportedly be charged with counts of felony mob action, criminal damage to property and aggravated battery. A website credits the attack to a group of "anti-racists."

Chicago homicides spiked by 60 percent in the first three months of 2012 despite increased police resources in some of the city's most dangerous neighborhoods.The Chicago Tribune reports that police statistics show nonfatal shootings also rose sharply in the first quarter.Chicago police and

If you're from Chicago, you probably know about the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. On February 14, 1929, seven men were gunned down at the SMC Cartage garage at 2122 N. Clark Street. Most of the dead men were members of the Bugs Moran bootlegging gang.

Key institutions around Chicago are collaborating to address the city's crime and violence. The University of Chicago's Crime Lab along with other organizations convened two panels Friday to connect research with policy makers.One panel focused on how education and social services can reduce crime.

February 10th might have been Chicago's day of infamy--the date remembered for the greatest mass murder in our history.The year was 1916. George Mundelein had just arrived in Chicago to take charge of the Catholic archdiocese. At 43 he was young for an archbishop.